Patch Blog: Dadmissions on Music

We were in the car today and all of a sudden Alicia shouted, "Why are they playing the 'defense' music?" Of course it wasn't the defense music from the basketball games, it was the opening to "We will rock you" by Queen. And it was an easy reminder to me, that I have a lot of work to do when it comes to imparting my taste in music on the girls.

In the Wilgoren household,... the Chipmunks reign supreme. They love anything and everything that three fictitious chipmunks can sing with studio session musicians and auto tune. The girls love the Muppets soundtrack from the most recent movie and have practically worn that thing out. That includes Starship's "We built this city" which is featured in the Muppets movie and a barbershop quarter version of Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit."

So I tried to play them the original Nirvana version one day. Didn't work out so well. The girls love several Elton John songs including "Don't go breakin my heart" and "Rocket Man" but only because they were all featured in the movie "Gnomeo and Juliet". And they still sing some of the songs from the original Happy Feet movie by Prince, Pink, and more. The parents out there know what I'm talking about.

So my mission is to introduce new music to Alicia and Andreya that doesn't have to do with singing squirrels, puppets, claymation, or princesses. It started at bedtime when I used to sing with the girls. Forget twinkle twinkle.

I sang "You've got a friend" by James Taylor, "Celluloid Heroes" by the Kinks and "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" by Pearl Jam. Yes, it was an eclectic bedtime routine. And it has paid dividends already. They've learned to like "The Police", songs like "Message in a bottle" and "Every little thing she does is magic". Andreya now sings "All of my love" by Led Zeppelin. And they both sing "Raspberry Beret" by Prince and love it, at least the refrain.

They don't understand the rest of the song and that's just fine with me. The girls like "Day after day" by Badfinger, the song my father sang with my mother. They think the name of the band is funny. I don't care, that's a checkmark in the music win column for dad.

Yes Alicia and Andreya now like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. But at least they know that music existed before Bieber was born. As for whether their musical taste is doomed... Or whether they'll find their own music compass with a wide range of tastes? I'm a belieber. See More.

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